Lands End sells a primaloft jacket very similar to the Patagonia Nano Puff. I just picked up a Nano Puff for myself on sale for $120 last month. My son really liked it and asked for one for himself, but because he loses jackets all the time, I looked around for an alternative.

Joe,
is the shell material durable or easy to tear?looks great except no hood but 100g of primaloft makes this a micropuff and without a hood!Must be hella warm.Special is still on til 5 13 with promo code.

The MEC Uplink Jacket is much, much cheaper and 3oz lighter, but it uses 40g/m2 insulation instead of 60g/m2 used in the Nano Puff Jacket. Still, worth a consideration. My understanding is when the hooded version is available (it currently is not), it comes as 60g/m2.

I got the same linked mountain hardwear off steep and cheap for low $. It's a nice jacket but the sleeves are oddly a little short. I have other MH gear and the same size fits better than this coat. I still wear it a lot and just deal with the short sleeves. It's only the sleeves… Everything else is perfect!

The armpits and chest are a little tight when used as a 'belay' jacket as well, over a softshell and a cap 2 baselayer. I sized up to a large (10.6oz), and it fits great – both sleeve length and chest room. It's a bit long now, but that's not a problem at all (almost preferrable).

they have an LE store in Sears and i saw the jacket there today.It looks nice,well made and the shell seems a little more tough than the nano.
Thankfully i had the chance to try it on instead of buying online and getting a surprise.

They only had a Large and the thing was very huge.I am 5 11,175 lbs :the chest and shoulders were super baggy but the bottom was somewhat tapered.The neck area was massive and flopping about.The arm cuffs were also massive-they had the elastic thing but you had to have wrists as thick as a loaf of bread for them to work.
I saw the size number as 42-44…not sure but i think that is an xl not large.
The medium is stated as 38-40 which is normally too small for me.

I wouldn't hike in a fleece and windshirt unless it was below freezing. I wouldn't hike in a Nano Puff as it won't breathe well enough.

I often hike in a base layer and windshirt and add the mid layer fleece (R1 or Power Stretch level) for rest or camp use. If it is colder than that, I would graduate to a 100g fill garment like a First Ascent Igniter or Patagonia Micro Puff.

IMHO, the 60g garments like the Nano Puff and Mont Bell Thermawrap don't cut it. They are too close to duplicating a windshirt, which I am already packing, and I can use the windshirt plus the fleece mid layer in many combinations.

You can add up the weights and volume, but it's not a spreadsheet decision. It has to work on the side of a cold wet mountain.

* It weighs 6oz more than the Nano Puff
* I can wear each separately or together
* I can wear the fleece with my rain shell and still have some breathability (try that with a Nano Puff)
* The R1 is excellent for sleep
* Adding a fleece at a rest stop will allow me to continue to shed excess moisture/perspiration where a Nano Puff would trap it.
* Wet weather performance of the R1 is excellent, not only with the ability to retain some insulating quailies when wet, but also the ability to transport perspiration from base layer and out to wind or rain shell.

BTW, I would be using the Power Stretch hoodie more often, with even more coverage at less weight than the R1. I feel that the two fabrics are close as far as warmth.

Bulk issues are mentioned with fleece. The lighter versions are more compressible than the classic 200W stuff. An R1 or Powerstretch jacket will pack in around the other items in the top of my pack, or carried under the lid where I can access it quickly for a rest stop.

Vests make for excellent summer insulation alternatives or even cooler with long sleeve base layer tops. If you want to save weight and volume, vests provide good core warmth at minimal bulk.

Note the REI Revelcloud vest at just 10oz. It is more breathable than the Nano Puff and from everything I can see, it has more loft as well ( the fill weight is not published). If you must go with light/thin lofted insulation, I think this makes a good or better alternative to the Nano Puff when used with a wind shell and long sleeve base layer.

Ultimately, I think these thin shelled/lofted garments are a failure in cold wet, high humidity environments. They won't transfer moisture and can't be worn while active. Layering a shell and light fleece mid layer can be far more versatile and even warmer at the cost of a few more additionsl ounces and a bit more bulk.

I think the stumbling block comes in thinking of the lighter lofted garments as "demi" versions of the classic belay jackets, which they are not as they aren't used in the same conditions, notably sub freezing and dryer.